Replies

1. 
   tangomike | Jan 22, 2006 07:39pm | #1

   interesting that they would blame supply problems in the U.S. when they are different part numbers for the EU vs. U.S. Also, "a couple of months" is a long long time for a global mfg like Makita... I wonder if there is something else at work here.

1. 
   teabags | Jan 22, 2006 11:16pm | #2

   My thougts exactly !!!!!!!  I did wonder if there might be another reason for extended delivery, as its from a new range. I will check USA suppliers and see if I can match model no,s. regards Teabag.

2. 
   jako17 | Jan 23, 2006 07:13am | #3

   The model that is being touted now in North America is the 18v l-ion impact and other tools .Might be worth waiting for that as they weigh very little more.Unlike the Ni-mh etc  cells.A point to bear in mind is that the charger is said to be good for all Makita cells .However to use it on non L-ion cells the adaptor is an expensive extra.

3. 
   gb93433 | Jan 24, 2006 07:12am | #4

   I have two 18V Milwaukee drills and they perform very well. My opinion is that Milwaukee is a much better drill.

1. 
   WillGeorge | Jan 25, 2006 02:11am | #5

   My opinion is that Milwaukee is a much better drill..Yep but I thought we was taklin' about battries?Sorry.. I just had to..

1. 
   gb93433 | Jan 25, 2006 03:07am | #6

   Sorry, I thought we were talking about drills.

2. 
   teabags | Jan 25, 2006 11:23pm | #7

   Thanks but these are IMPACT DRIVERS with Lithium-ion batteries, if we ever get round to seeing them.I did a search on several sites and they all list'' out of stock'' so there may be a problem other than supply!

1. 
   WhatKnot | Jan 26, 2006 05:39am | #8

   Teabags, my rep say's a couple of months here also and we'll see it first as a multi-tool kit offering.

   I had a chance to hang on to a Dewalt 36V demo hammer the other day... Whoa....I was impressed!

   Corporate here isn't interested in handling them just yet and I think that might be the problem. Demand isn't there yet because there are still too many batteries and kits out there that need to be sold off.Steve

   "You can either be smart or pleasant, I was once smart but now I'm pleasant. I like being pleasant better." Jimmy Stewart - Harvey

2. 
   jako17 | Jan 28, 2006 02:07am | #9

   Are you sure you want to go the impact driver route ? I find that they are not great for finessing screws but excellent for driving large numbers of 3" # 10s in reno work.One charge drives many more screws than a comparable voltage drill  into LVL's and other wood product beams.However my impact gun is a 12v Panasonic which I decided on because it was proven technology and I have a big project on now.Another point how well will impact work with Pozi drives? I have found that square recess screws handle the beating well,but only once ,if you need a second attempt use a new screw. 

   Edited 1/27/2006 6:11 pm ET by jako17

1. 
   WhatKnot | Jan 28, 2006 07:13pm | #10

   Agree, the impact driver is meant (well I believe anyway) to counter the woes of the hammer drills that folks used for a time in installation situatuions. The big advantage is that it wont cause the threads being created by the screw to tear out like they do with the hammer drills. The end result is that the screw will hold better and longer particularly when we are building with green (wet) lumber. 

   I've found that just because you can buy an 18V impact, its rare that you really need enough power to change a tire. If you scale back to the 12V impacts for installs, the results are much better but it takes a bit of getting used to.

   A 12V impact won't send a 3" coarse thread drywall screw through a 2x6 sideways but it will certainly set it well enough for anything that the majority of us would want to do. If you deal with a lot of really hard woods you're going to want to pre-drill for the most part so the extra power is really not all that necessary.Steve

   "You can either be smart or pleasant, I was once smart but now I'm pleasant. I like being pleasant better." Jimmy Stewart - Harvey

1. 
   jako17 | Jan 28, 2006 10:57pm | #11

   I have no problem in sinking 3-3 1/2" #10 low root or conventional screws in any direction through a 2by 6 or LVL with my 12v impact and a lot of them as well !